Mr Vaile said one of the cornerstones of a draft statement, drawn up after six days of World Trade Organisation talks, was a provision calling for the elimination of export subsidies for farmers in rich nations by the end of 2013.

Australia and similar farm traders that oppose such subsidies have been trying for five decades to have other players, including European countries, stop using them, saying they skew the global market.

They had pushed for a 2010 end-date.

"Getting outcomes that are committed to is also about negotiating compromise," Mr Vaile told reporters.

"We've only had to compromise by three years. I think history will record that that was a compromise worth accepting."

The 149-nation WTO kicked off its Doha Round of trade talks in the capital of Qatar in 2001, but governments have struggled since them to find common ground.

Member states have now approved the modest package of market-opening steps.

"It is so agreed," said Hong Kong Trade Secretary John Tsang as, with the rap of his gavel, he confirmed acceptance by all 149 members.

WTO members aim to complete their talks, which also cover commerce in industrial goods and services, by the end of 2006 and hope to kick off the trade reforms in 2008.

The Hong Kong draft also included a commitment to give the world's poorest countries duty and quota free access to the rich world's markets, although activists have expressed worries that the poor will still not benefit.

Using trade to boost the economies of developing countries is supposed to be a key plank of the Doha Round.

Mr Vaile, who noted Australia already has such a policy in place, said it was a deeply important move by other members.

"History will record this an incredibly significant decision, of the developed countries doing something practical for the poorest countries in the world," he said.

"It is not just handing out aid money. It is not just delivering debt relief. It is not just lecturing about improving governance," he said.

"This is a truly practical mechanism that provides an opportunity for those poor countries themselves to enhance their economic growth, structure and access to the markets of the world."